Creativity.

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"Creation is a better means of self-expression than possession; it is through creating, not possessing, that life is revealed." -Vida Dutton Scudder, The Privilege of Age

I've got to admit that generally when I "read" magazines, I don't actually read them. I am the queen of flipping through and acknowledging the pictures... and that's it. But May's Real Simple had a feature on how to become more creative... and it really piqued my interest. Inspired me, actually. Here are a few things that stuck out to me that I really liked:

1. "Accept failure. Enjoy it, even. Embrace the suck, for the suck is part of the process." Apparently Picasso created about 50,000 paintings, and a good portion of them were lousy... But he had a few winners, didn't he?

2. Be a kid. Sit on the floor to brainstorm ideas. "Logic is important. But if it comes in too early, it ruins things." This is hard for me...

3. Stay positive! "Research shows that a positive mood is most conducive to creative thinking; negativity inhibits ingenuity." I've got a lot of weaknesses, but I would say that positivity is probably one of my strengths. At least I've got that going for me, right?

4. Brainstorm in groups. You may not always find the idea while in the group, but the ideas of others could spark something in you later on. Brainstorming in groups is scary for me, but that could be because I struggle with point number 5 below...

5. Don't be afraid to look dumb. "You cannot be creative unless you're willing to walk around with your pants around your ankles."

Hope you were inspired as I was...